Offensive/defensive linemen in football rarely benefit from accurate assessment of their effectiveness. It is difficult to measure the skills necessary to play these key positions. Amongst other skills, a lineman's speed of reaction is extremely important. The quicker the lineman can react, especially to the snap of the football, the greater the advantage for that lineman to accomplish his assigned task for that play. In addition to the reaction time, the lineman's speed in moving from the stationary position to contact with an opposing player, often referred to as the player's explosiveness, is also extremely important. Reaction time and explosiveness are not necessarily related and it cannot be assumed that a player with a quick reaction is also extremely explosive, or vice versa. Therefore, it is useful to be able to measure both of these aspects independently of one another.
Currently, use of a stopwatch is the primary method for measuring a lineman's reaction times. This method is inaccurate due to the manual operation of the stopwatch by the coach/observer and requires a coach to divert attention from the athlete to the stopwatch. Thus, while the coach is concentrating on taking an accurate measurement with the stopwatch, he is lass able to concentrate on the technique of the athlete. Use of the stopwatch can then become as much a test of the coach's coordination as it is of the athlete's.
It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus by which the reaction time of an athlete can be accurately determined.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus by which the explosiveness of an athlete can be accurately determined.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an automatic mechanism by which an athlete's reaction time can be accurately determined.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an automatic mechanism by which an athlete's explosiveness can be accurately determined.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus by which the force of an athlete contacting an object can be accurately determined.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an automatic mechanism by which the force of an athlete contacting an object can be accurately determined.